The New York Knicks are the reigning, defending, undisputed NBA Champions of the world. The team steamrolled through the playoffs with a 16-3 record, going 15-1 after falling behind 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round.

Not much has changed for the Knicks in the offseason, as they are bringing back the same starting five of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, and OG Anunoby.

The bench is returning many key pieces like Miles McBride, Jose Alvarado, Jordan Clarkson, and Landry Shamet, though Mitchell Robinson has been replaced by Andre Drummond.

Despite the fact that the Knicks are running it back after a dominant playoff run and a regular season that included winning the NBA Cup, they’re still being overlooked coming into the season.

Michael Pina of The Ringer released his preseason power rankings, putting the Knicks at number two behind the San Antonio Spurs.

There is a strong argument for the Spurs to be at the top of the power rankings as they are returning the same core, which was already one of the youngest in the league while adding veteran Tobias Harris, who had a strong season with the Detroit Pistons. They also have Victor Wembanyama, who is only 22 and may end up being the greatest two-way player ever.

But the Spurs lost in five games to the Knicks in the Finals. All five games were competitive, and the Spurs probably should’ve won at least two of the games they lost, but they didn’t.

The experience they got and the revenge factor can’t be discounted, but neither can the fact that the Knicks won four of the five games.

Along with the Spurs, many believe in the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are also returning the same core and hoping for better health, will be at the top of the league, and everyone is enamored with the Philadelphia 76ers after they acquired Jaylen Brown and LeBron James.

The attention being on other teams doesn’t seem to bother the Knicks, at least not Josh Hart, who is okay with not being an overwhelming favorite despite their track record.

It’s a long regular season and postseason, and preseason rankings often look silly by the time the season ends; they certainly did last year.

No team has won back-to-back titles since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018, but the Knicks have the right mix of experience and leadership to be on the right side of history.